Bdellovibrio

Bdellovibrio
Central slice through a cryotomogram of an intact Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus cell. Scale bar 200 nm
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Bdellovibrionota
Class:	Bdellovibrionia
Order:	Bdellovibrionales
Family:	Bdellovibrionaceae
Genus:	Bdellovibrio
Type species
Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus Stolp & Starr 1963
Species
B. bacteriovorus B. reynosensis

Bdellovibrio is a genus of Gram-negative, obligate aerobic bacteria. One of the more notable characteristics of this genus is that members can prey upon other Gram-negative bacteria and feed on the biopolymers, e.g. proteins and nucleic acids, of their hosts. They have two lifestyles: a host-dependent, highly mobile phase, the "attack phase", in which they form "bdelloplasts" in their host bacteria; and a slow-growing, irregularly shaped, host-independent form.^[1]